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How Aberdeen’s LeapAI is leading the charge in accessible automation

LeapAI wants to make robotic automation globally available and affordable for companies of all sizes. Read on to discover the company’s story so far and how we’re supporting its scaling journey. 

29 January 2025 | 6 minute read

It may seem like everyone’s talking about artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, but the number of businesses that have implemented these technologies in their day-to-day operations is less than you might think.

A June 2023 ONS survey on the AI uptake and sentiment among people and businesses in the UK, found that only 16% of businesses reported implementing at least one of the AI applications asked about in the survey (these included data and image processing, robotics, autonomous vehicles, and content creation).

Two of the main barriers to companies adopting AI and automation tools are cost – both the upfront cost of the software and the ongoing costs of implementation and maintenance – and complexity of programming.

Luckily, LeapAI is on a mission to tackle these. And it’s made its start in the food and drink manufacturing industry.  

Inside the factory

Have you ever visited a food factory? Ben Stuart, CEO of LeapAI, says the thing that surprised him when he did was just how manually dependent they are.

An average food factory in the UK can have anywhere between tens to hundreds of people sat at the end of lines doing repetitive manual tasks.

Finding people to do these kinds of manual labour jobs is becoming harder and more expensive. Automation is a clear solution but, unfortunately, not a simple one. Or, at least, it hasn’t been – but that’s where LeapAI comes in.

Ben Stuart and Ben Bamford began LeapAI back in 2017. Driven by their shared passion for robotics and AI, they were initially focussed on developing industrial robots. They pivoted to the food sector in 2020 after being struck by the low level of automation in the UK food market. The country only sits 24th in the world for the number of installed robots per worker.  

The two decided to explore this further and went on a tour of the UK’s food facilities. This was when the world was still recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic, and they were shocked to see the volume of tasks that were still manually undertaken during a time when labour was scarce.

When they asked businesses why this was the case, they heard the same thing over and over. ‘Robots are too expensive, they can’t be updated to accommodate new products, or it’s too complicated to manage multiple providers for maintenance and programming’.

With a better understanding of the problem, the founders set about creating a solution: delivering AI-enabled robotics that were simpler and had a lower price point than anything else on the market. 

LeapAI’s intelligent and efficient solution

The team got straight to work on developing their initial solution – and it was uniquely placed to deliver this quickly and efficiently.

What sets LeapAI apart from other robotics and AI companies is the huge range of capabilities it possesses.

Typically in the UK, robotics are delivered by robotic integrators, as opposed to designers or builders. These are services businesses that buy third-party hardware and software that they package up and provide to customers.

LeapAI brings everything in-house. With a team of talented developers, engineers, programmers, and more, it designs its own robots and controls the software stack that operates them.

This gives the company increased control and flexibility with its systems and fundamentally allows it to provide them at a lower price point.

The company’s first product – that’s already available and in use at several UK factories – is the PikPak™.

PikPak™ is a robotic food packing system designed to automate manual end-of-line packing. Built with advanced robotic, vision, and software technologies, the machine automates the process of picking up and placing products in boxes for travel.

Unlike similar products, PikPak™ has forward-looking software that allows new products to be integrated into its packing remit. This means that it can adapt in line with evolving business requirements. It’s also user-friendly, requires minimal training, and has a small carbon footprint.  

How we’ve supported LeapAI so far

We recognised LeapAI’s potential to be a leader in the automation space and were impressed by the company’s big ambition early on.

We began our relationship during LeapAI’s initial seed round and have since provided grant funding for R&D and invested in its Series A funding round too.

But backing ambition doesn’t just translate to funding and investment.

“Scottish Enterprise are always thinking about how it can help support you as a business”, Ben Stuart said when we caught up with him recently.

“Scottish Enterprise’s account managers feel like an extension of our team. They’re here to help us tackle problems, provide opportunities like training, and offer strategic support and advice to help us get where we want to be. That’s the magic of it.”

With this support and an oversubscribed Series A, LeapAI has been able to develop its debut product and build its team. It now has its HQ in Aberdeen and a software hub in Edinburgh.

LeapAI is just at the beginning of its journey, though. With PikPak™ already in seven factories across the UK, the company is already looking at how it can tackle the huge range of manual tasks that span the whole manufacturing industry.

What’s up next for LeapAI

LeapAI’s mission is to make robotic automation accessible and affordable for companies of all sizes across the world. PikPak™ is the first step, and the company wants to see it installed in thousands of factories here and across the globe.

Beyond sales and exports, though, the company wants to play a key role in supporting businesses to adopt AI and automation tools.

Ben says his goal is to “be recognised as a trusted partner that has helped drive our customer’s automation journeys”.

Everything is lined up for the company to meet that goal – not least of all because its corner of the automation market is far from saturated.

“We don’t see a huge amount of competition just now,” Ben says. “There certainly aren’t a great number of AI-enabled robotics working within the food and drink industry currently, and particularly not in the specific area of fresh produce where we're currently focused.”

Intelligent automation represents a massive opportunity for businesses to optimise processes, increase productivity, and upskill their staff. With LeapAI’s products making intelligent automation more accessible, we’re excited to watch this space.

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